Apical ballooning syndrome: a complication of dual chamber pacemaker implantation.

Apical ballooning is a cardiac syndrome (Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy) described as a typical form of acute transient left ventricular dysfunction. While its onset has often been associated with emotionally or physically stressful situations, it has an overall favorable prognosis. We describe here a case of transient apical ballooning following permanent pacemaker implantation.

Off-pump coronary artery bypass for emergency myocardial revascularization.

Emergency coronary artery bypass is associated with increased operative mortality. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficiency and safety of off-pump emergency coronary artery bypass, and to compare the outcome with that of the conventional on-pump procedure. Data of 79 patients who underwent emergency isolated coronary artery bypass were reviewed retrospectively; 45 had off-pump coronary bypass and 34 had conventional surgery.

Left internal mammary artery atherosclerosis: twenty-three years after repair of aortic coarctation.

Atherosclerosis of the internal mammary artery is a rare disease. We describe a case in which a 41-year-old man underwent coronary artery bypass surgery 23 years after repair of aortic coarctation. The diseased mammary artery was used to graft the left anterior descending coronary artery after intraoperative confirmation of good patency.

Iatrogenic right coronary artery dissection with retrograde extension to the right coronary sinus.

Iatrogenic coronary artery dissection extending into the aorta is a rare condition. We report a case in a 46-year-old male patient who had dissection of the right coronary artery which occurred during diagnostic coronary catheterization. The dissection extended retrogradely to affect the right coronary sinus.

Surgical intervention to remove an entrapped fractured guidewire during angioplasty.

Intra-coronary entrapment of angioplasty hardware is a rare complication of coronary intervention. Such complication is potentially dangerous. We present two cases of an entrapped fractured guidewire during angioplasty.

Coronary endarterectomy on beating heart: is it worth doing?

Background: Management of patients with severely impaired left ventricular function (LVF) associated with diffusely atheromatous coronary artery disease is a real dilemma. Coronary revascularization can be done only after endarterectomy to facilitate anastomosis. The aim of the present work is to present our experience and see whether performing endarterectomy during off-pump bypass can be of any benefit.

Visceral leishmaniasis complicated by fungal pulmonary valve endocarditis.

We present a rare neglected case of fungal pulmonary valve endocarditis which presented with typical extra cardiac manifestations after repeated injections for treatment of visceral leishmaniasis. Surgical intervention to replace the pulmonary valve was the only option to manage the patient in spite of extensive medical treatment.